Page 8 | Greenwich Sentinel
PUBLISHER Beth@GreenwichSentinel.com Elizabeth Barhydt
Editorial Page
EDITORS & COPY EDITORS Editor@GreenwichSentinel.com Peter Barhydt, Daniel FitzPatrick, Stapley Russell, Anne W. Semmes
20 Years On This weekend marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The word anniversary is perhaps not the best word to use here. Anniversaries are often events that we celebrate. There is nothing celebratory about the attacks 20 years ago. In last week’s Sentinel, Greenwich resident Peter DaPuzzo, who was President of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co’s Institutional Equities Division for many years, wrote movingly of personal memories of many from the area who died. Their names are familiar. They are on memorials and read aloud every year. This week, the media has been filled with the grim images of the events as they unfolded in 2001. Watching even for a few moments the numbness we felt when we originally saw them returns. It is not how we want to mark 20 years on.
Thirty-three people with ties to Greenwich died on September 11, 2001. Thirty-three people did not return to their loved ones. Wives lost husbands, mothers lost sons, sisters’ brothers, sons,’ fathers, and fathers lost daughters. We will never forget the events. We want to remember the people. Like how Peter DaPuzzo wrote his memories of those he knew, we honor those lost when we celebrate their memories and who they were. Thirty-three people with ties to Greenwich died on September 11, 2001. Thirty-three people did not return to their loved ones. Wives lost husbands, mothers lost sons, sisters’ brothers, sons,’ fathers, and fathers lost daughters. Their losses cannot be replaced; they left our entire community mourning and grasping to comprehend the enormity of what happened. We are fortunate in Greenwich that we have two opportunities this weekend that honor those who died. The first ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10 at the Glenville Volunteer Fire Company station. A piece of steel from the World Trade Center has been turned into a memorial at the fire station. The ceremony will recognize the Greenwich citizens who were killed as well as all of the first responders. The second ceremony will be held at the memorial in Cos Cob Park beginning at 8:46 a.m. Sept. 11. Some family members of those who died in the attacks will attend as well as town and state elected officials, members of the military, the American Red Cross, and local first responders. Attendees will place f lowers at the base of the memorial. The service will begin with a cannon shot and a ringing bell to mark the moment that the first hijacked jet hit the World Trade Center. Another bell will ring at 9:03 a.m., when another plane hit the second tower. It will ring again at 9:37 a.m., when a plane hit the Pentagon; at 10:03 a.m. for the plane crash in Shanksville, Pa.; and at 10:28 a.m., when the first tower collapsed. Efforts to build the memorial in Cos Cob Park to those lost began soon after the attacks, when a small group of family members and friends came together because they wanted a place where they could remember those who died. The memorial would be a place for quiet reflection, remembrance and spirituality. When the memorial was officially unveiled, given to the town, and opened for all to visit, it was an opportunity to celebrate completion of the memorial and to thank the thousands of our neighbors who contributed financially to its success. It was also an opportunity to say to the families that we will not forget their loss, and we honor and celebrate their loved ones. As we come together once more as a community, let us stand quietly and reverently before these memorials. Let us bow our heads as each name of the 33 victims is read aloud and listen as a bell is rung. Let us comfort those who still mourn. Let us lay a flower at the memorial in honor of all who perished. Let us remember and honor those we lost. Washington Irving wrote: “There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief... and of unspeakable love.”
Photo by John and Bailey Robben
Grateful for the Greenwich Town Party!
By Dan FitzPatrick The Town of Greenwich has many blessings, and one of them certainly is the annual Greenwich Town Party, which was held this past Sunday, September 5. And what a blessing it was! Forced by COVID to be canceled last year and rescheduled from its traditional Memorial Day slot, the 10th annual GTP was a much needed shot in the arm (pun intended), for a Greenwich community aching to get out and celebrate the glory of being alive together. Rain dampen their spirit? Fuhgeddaboudit! What the heck; party on! With children’s activities and local food vendors kicking the event off at 10:00 AM, and live music performances running constantly from 11:00 in the morning to 10:00 at night, the GTP is a music-lover’s dream. As such, it is exactly the vision that Barbara and Ray Dalio, the event’s inspirers, sought to achieve in replicating the tradition of large parties held by the great cities and towns of Europe which the family, and Barbara in particular, had come to know and love. Ray’s father, Marino Dalio, was a jazz musician, and Ray grew up to love music of all sorts. So it was natural that Greenwich’s town party would feature great music. And with their contacts in the world of music, the Dalios helped ensure that GTP music would be truly awesome. Helen and I arrived in time to see Greenwich native Caroline Jones perform on the main stage. What a wonderful experience. Growing up, our two girls were
classmates with Caroline and her younger sister, and we have watched Caroline transform from a young girl to a folk artistcomposer to a full-blown country music star and composer, with her own unique style and presence. The crowd absolutely loved her, and it will be fun to watch her career continue to soar, so that we can say “we knew her when!” Next up was the band Happy Accidents, featuring Michael Mugrage, Mark Zelenz and Greenwich resident Annie Seem, performing original music and covers of classic songs. True to their name, the band kept the crowd’s spirits up and flying. At around 3:00 PM, Ray Dalio took to the stage to introduce one of his favorite bands of all time, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, featuring his good friend Charlie Gabriel. The band delighted the audience with its outstanding energy, rhythm, variety, virtuosity and even some mischievous humor. No laid-back, drawing room style jazz was this; we were all blown away by the big, bold, brassy sound of saxophones, trumpets and trombones combining, clashing and raising the (metal) rafters with their glorious sound. Individual solos showcased the exceptional genius of these performers, including the drummer and keyboard artist. Ray promised that they would “put a smile on everyone’s face,” and they certainly did. What a treat. Shane Kirsch and his band Rang-ABoom played next with a great mix of funk, blues and rock to pick up where the PHJB left off, keeping the (increasingly rain soaked) party going strong! Then, at 5:00, the Zac Brown Band took the main stage and an explosion of great fun ensued. Joined by Caroline Jones, the group played a mix of their own hits (which everyone in the audience seemed to know by heart) and covers of songs by Billy Joel, Elton John and others, which absolutely delighted the crowd. As hard as it tried, the rain could not make a dent in the singing, dancing and fun. Longtime Greenwich resident Charlie King performed next with the band The Next Big Thing. We’ve known Charlie and his family for many years, and it
never ceases to impress us that our town contains so many multi-talented people. Charlie gave an absolutely top-notch performance which included original music that many in the crowd knew by heart and sang right back in defiance of the everthreatening rain. No one, and no thing, was going to stop the fun. And then, about 8:00, came the main attraction. The Eagles. No need to say more. What an exceptional gift to be able to listen to a band that helped craft an era of music that defined the lives of so many in the audience of a certain age, and that also captivates the attention of subsequent generations. If music is a language, then it is the lingua franca of generations. Hit after hit they played, inviting the crowd to sing along, which it did with gusto. When the stage lights first went down, we knew the show was not over, as we had not yet heard “Hotel California.” Once we did, and the show was truly over, we all traipsed through the shoetrapping mud toward our respective destinations. The rain, and the mud, and the (unfortunately common) trash on the ground reminded us of Woodstock. Perhaps GT P 2 021 shou ld b e ca l led “Greenwichstock.” It certainly was that memorable. So what exactly is this Greenwich “attitude?” Certainly, it includes a mixture of community, conviviality, joy in collective celebration, and weather resistance. But at its core, the attitude is one of gratitude. Gratitude for the vision that gave birth to the GTP, appreciation for the initial and continuing support of Ray and Barbara Dalio for this terrific gift to our community, kudos and thanks to the citizens and friends that worked so hard to make it happen (at the risk of leaving out many important contributors, special shoutouts to GTP co-president Ray Rivers for organizing the event, and to Scot Weicker and his team for pulling off event logistics that would give the US Army Corps of Engineers a run for their money), and showers of thanks to the performers and their crews who helped make “a soggy day in Greenwich-town” one we will not soon forget.
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